Expert: Greg Scholl - 9/1/2011

Question
Hi Greg, I bought a furniture set in a chocolate brown finish.  The manufacturer recommends to clean furniture with a high quality furniture polish and  to avoid oily polishes or waxes. I tried a furniture polish that said it contained no waxes or silicones but left some ugly spots on the furniture after the product dried.Then I tried Scott's liquid gold wood cleaner and preservative to clean the ugly spots that the other product left. Although, I did like the way my furniture shined with Scott's liquid gold, it left some ugly streaks. I don't know if it's harder to clean darker wood or what am I doing wrong or where can I find a high quality furniture polish? I would appreciate your help.

Answer
Hi Elsa, darker furniture will show streaks more than lighter finishes...and you should really only need to use something sparingly...once every few months..IF it needs it. One of the most common mistakes people make is to over apply these products, and not wipe them off well. In order for a "polish" to work it needs an oil, wax,silicone, or other "shining" ingredient...so it can't be free of all these things...or it doesn't 'do' anything.I like the Guardsmen polish that is an oil based polish,but a very light one, or for regular cleaning Endust...sprayed on the cleaning cloth, not on the finish.Spots may have been a result of not applying the product evenly,...but a dark finish is more susceptible to this because it shows everything. There's an old adage that "black cars look better in the shade"...which holds truth because the sun shows every little imperfection on a black finish. I am not a fan of the Murphy's so I would stay away from that on a modern finish, and Pledge is a silicone based product which is also a poor choice. A new finish should not need anything but a damp cloth followed by hand drying with a soft, clean, dry cloth.
Once you start spraying things, or wiping things all over a new finish, it sets you up for regular maintenance of the finish, because of the very things you're complaining of.Cleaning is not polishing...polishes don't clean well, unless the user applies it evenly, and then buffs it off completely, a step many people don't do successfully, and even then it can be smeary, especially on a dark finish that is in reflective light...they just smear dirt and dust around into a slurry and then leave a residue behind.. a soft, clean cloth is your best method to clean, perhaps with a little Endust or just a touch of dampness from some warm water, applied to it(buff dry with a separate cloth if you use water)...and then once or twice a YEAR, applying Guardsman will add back a little shine, and protection. Hope that helps- post back if need be.-Regards- Greg

http://www.amazon.com/Guardsman-306200-16OZ-Wood-Polish/dp/B000VBB2FA/ref=sr_1_8